i in por reuae nonse
m endandi
TO ENTER
ATLAS: FLY
I read the books of ancient knowledge and sought
to understand their cipher. As I
labored, it was slowly revealed
to me that which had long
been beyond my understanding. The riddles and codes,
laid side by side, revealed that
in times long past men of power had gone to the mountain
while it was raining. What they
saw there when they arrived
(and I could scarcely credit
this) was that water flows downhill. I was shocked. I was skeptical. It seemed too incredible
to believe, and reason told
me it was assuredly a lie. But
even so, I decided to put this
to the test. I went to the mountain while it was raining and, lo
and behold, I saw water flowing downhill! That was the start
of my troubles…
Exhausted by my journey,
shivering from the cold and wet,
I made my way to the nearest
inn. As I warmed myself by the
fire, a tall man approached me.
He asked what seemed to be
the matter. Although uncertain
of myself, after careful deliberation a decision was made. “I
went to the mountain while it
was raining,” I revealed, in a
hushed whisper, “and I saw water flowing downhill!” He seemed
taken aback.
“I mean no offense,” said
the tall man. “But I can’t believe
such nonsense as this. I’ve lived
forty-one years. I’ve run a shop
and brought up two fine children. I’ve even helped to raise
money for the deserving poor.
But I’ll tell you this; in all my fortyone years, never once have I
seen water flow downhill.”
“Ah,” I objected, “but
have you been to the mountain while it was raining?” He
thought about this.
“No,” he said. “That’s crazy.”
“Try it!” I urged him. “You’ll
see it too!”
“I think not,” said the tall
man, with offended dignity.
“Good day.”
I was troubled. Still, he was
only one man. Another man, a
cheerier sort, came to take his
place.
“What’s the matter with